I love lard. I really do. I know we've all been told that lard is bad and it'll kill us all with heart attacks. Sadly, the American public has been sorely misguided for a very long time (since the 1950's) in regards to dietary fat. I'd love to go into the details, but that would take me many pages of scientific explanation so instead, you can read more about this in the book Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. If you want to understand how to really be healthy (even if it goes against modern "wisdom", then I highly recommend this book -- and no, I don't get anything for this endorsement).I will briefly go into why I love lard so much, though, and how it keeps me healthy rather than hurting me.Here's the deal: carbohydrates make you fat. If you can learn to limit your carbohydrate intake to 50g a day or less, your body will begin using ketones as a fuel source instead of glucose. Ketones are made in the liver using fat, so instead of sugar and carbohydrates as being a fuel source, fat becomes the fuel source. That's why I love fat-rich foods -- they give me energy. Lots of it. And my heart is healthy and my cholesterol numbers are great. In fact, the last time I had my blood tested, my triglycerides (which are bad bad bad, so they say) didn't even register on the instant meter, meaning they were less than 45mg/dL (normal "good" is <150mg/dL). So keep your carbs low (good-bye grains!) and make sure you get enough fat. I never thought in a million years I'd be saying that! I'm sure more than a handful of people I know would wonder why I'd want to make my own lard. Well, it's hard to find lard from naturally-raised pigs that have not been given antibiotics. So when in doubt, make it yourself.

3. If using slow-cooker, turn on high. DO NOT cover with the lid. This allows the water to evaporate out of the fat instead of collecting on the lid and dripping back into the fat. If using a dutch oven on the stove, turn heat to medium. DO NOT cover with a lid.

4. Check on the fat often, giving it a stir if you desire. The fat will begin to melt into a clear liquid. Continue to melt the fat down for up to 8 hours. It's important not to let the fat cook for too long or else the lard will take on a pork flavor, so if you start to smell the fat cooking, it's time to take it off the heat. Or if the fat is turning brown, like it's being deep-fried, then it's time to take it off the heat, too. Ideally, you want to take strain the fat before you get any browning or pork flavors.

5. Place a few layers of cheesecloth over a strainer (inside a funnel works great) and position that over your desired storage container -- in my case, a mason jar. Pour the melted fat through the cheesecloth. Let it set at room temperature to cool off before refrigerating. As the lard cools, it will become opaque and then solidify into a creamy white color -- a thing of beauty. *Many people keep lard at room temperature, but I feel more comfortable putting it in the refrigerator (or freezer for long-term storage).

Yes, butchers sell big ol' hunks of pork fat, but I'd call ahead to see if they have it available or if it needs to be special-ordered. We bought ours from a local farm that sells grass-fed beef and pork at $2 a pound -sevensons.net.

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Hi, I'm Amber.

Our family used to be sick but grain-free whole foods has made us better. Read more about our journey here.